Men's basketball: Cal Bears power past No. 17 Oregon

The Golden Bears beat the No. 17 Ducks for the 12th straight time Thursday night, winning 96-83 in front of 8,415 fans at Matthew Knight Arena, fueled by a career-best 32 points from freshman Jordan Mathews.

"It feels great ... not just my individual game but to get the 'W,' " Mathews said. "Once I hit my first two shots, I knew I could get what I wanted."

Cal (11-4, 2-0 in Pac-12) won its second straight road game to open conference play. "This gives us a lot of momentum going into Oregon State," said senior point guard Justin Cobbs, referring to Saturday's game in Corvallis.

Coach Mike Montgomery called his club's performance "pretty good stuff" but declined to make too much out of what one victory can mean to the Bears' long-term prospects.

"It's a long way to go," he said. "But it gives us some confidence, knowing we are capable of beating a good team. That's first and foremost."

Still without two of their top seven players, the Bears played a superb offensive game against one of the nation's most explosive teams. Oregon (13-2, 1-2) lost its second straight game, after a 100-91 defeat at Colorado last weekend.

Cobbs, fighting leg cramps in the second half, had 20 points and 11 assists. Richard Solomon added 16 points and nine rebounds, Tyrone Wallace scored 14 points to go with five assists and four steals, and David Kravish contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

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Mathews was terrific, making 10 of his 14 shots from the field and all nine free throws to eclipse his previous best of 22 points.

"Jordan knocked down shots -- that's what he does," said Cobbs, whose long jumper with 0.7 seconds left beat Oregon here last season. "He hit a couple, and after that he was unconscious."

Mathews, who had 20 points by halftime, said it was merely his turn.

"Coach Montgomery said it's going to be somebody different every game. Today it was me," Mathews said.

Joseph Young scored 29 points for the Ducks, who have not beaten the Bears since Montgomery became coach for the 2008-09 season. In fact, Montgomery owns 15 straight wins over the Ducks, dating back to his time coaching at Stanford.

Cal led much of the game, but Oregon would not go away.

The Ducks battled within 75-72 with 5:37 left, but Cal outscored them 21-11 the rest of the way.

On a night when offense ruled, Montgomery was pleased that his team held the Ducks to 29.7 percent shooting in the second half.

Cal's four-point halftime lead disappeared quickly.

Mathews opened the second half by drilling a 3-pointer for a 49-42 lead, but the Ducks responded with an 8-0 burst, punctuated by Moser's 3-point basket for a 50-49 lead with 16:49 left.

When Young buried a baseline jumper with 16:12 left, the Ducks had a 52-49 lead, their biggest of the night, and the crowd was helped with momentum.

Cal fought second-half foul trouble -- five players finished with four fouls -- but never wilted.

The Bears remain without guards Jabari Bird and Ricky Kreklow. Bird, a freshman, has a sprained right ankle. Kreklow, a junior, has an injured right hand.